Chapter 83: Ten Slots for an Entire Continent
Rosalind’s golden eyes burned with a fierce, protective aura as she looked back at Azriel, her hand reaching out beneath the covers to tightly clasp his.
The lingering blush on her cheeks vanished, replaced by the solemn resolve of a GrandMaster.
"Getting back to the matter at hand... even with the full force of the House of Bastet, while we can easily shield you from Overlord-level factions, if a Sovereign faction personally intervenes, keeping you hidden within the estate will become nearly impossible," Rosalind admitted, her tone laced with reluctant bitterness.
"The safest place for you right now is somewhere even Sovereigns cannot freely wage war."
She paused, looking deeply into his violet eyes, her grip on his hand tightening.
"To protect you, Azriel... I want you to enroll in the Ancient Beast Academy."
Azriel was already familiar with how academies operated in this world.
They were established across every continent by the various races as premier sanctuaries to train newly awakened talents and cultivate their potential.
These institutions supplied everything, world-class instructors, rare resources, and high-tier dungeon access, strictly based on merit and performance.
While countless academies dotted the Beast Continent, the Ancient Beast Academy stood at the absolute apex, far outclassing the rest.
That, however, was where his knowledge ended.
Rosalind cleared her throat softly, continuing her explanation.
"Because the entry standards for awakener academies are brutally steep, they overwhelmingly enroll women, primarily because women naturally possess higher baseline potential than men in our society."
She met his gaze, her expression turning serious.
"It isn’t that men are strictly forbidden from learning within these halls, but there is only one path in, a man can only apply if he is the designated partner of an already enrolled female student."
Azriel’s brows furrowed. "A partner?"
"Yes. And even then, the bottleneck is terrifyingly narrow," Rosalind added, her voice heavy.
"The Ancient Beast Academy grants a meager ten spots to male applicants every single year."
Vesperia let out a low chuckle from the doorway, her golden eyes glinting.
"Which means every young man backed by an influential house, every elite male guardian, bound vanguard, or chosen partner, must slaughter their way through a brutal tournament just to compete for those ten isolated slots."
[LIVE CHAT]
[Sadistic69] (Red): ONLY TEN SPOTS FOR MEN?! IN THE ENTIRE CONTINENT?! THAT’S A BLOODBATH waiting to happen!
[Nine_Tailed_Vixen] (Cyan): Azriel is about to enter an academy full of arrogant high-born women and beat up all their ’chosen male partners’! I CAN’T WAIT!
[Lusty_Sera] (Golden): Heh... he is my chosen one, obviously he is gonna win...
[Boundless_Slacker] (Red): A tournament filled with spoiled young masters fighting for scrap slots? Pure webnovel archetype.
Azriel let out a low whistle, leaning back against the carved white marbel headboard as the sheer scale of the situation set in.
Ten spots for an entire continent’s worth of male aspirants.
In a world where men were routinely looked down upon as lesser combatants, those ten slots were nothing short of a brutal meat grinder designed to filter out anyone who wasn’t an absolute anomaly.
"Ten spots out of thousands..." Azriel mused.
A dark, thrilled smirk slowly spread across his face.
Though the sheer absurdity of this world was entirely wild, a sharp pulse of adrenaline surged under his skin.
His Abyssal Ardor bloodline hummed beneath his flesh, roaring for a challenge, ravenous for a fight.
"Sounds like fun."
Then, his gaze softened as he turned back to Rosalind.
He knew better than anyone how fiercely possessive she had become over him over the past few weeks.
She was the kind of woman who burned with quiet jealousy if a castle maid dared to glance at him a second too long.
Yet here she was, proposing that he become the official partner of another woman, even if that woman was her own daughter.
Though a stray, wicked thought crossed his mind about having both mother and daughter under his thumb, the subtle ache in Rosalind’s eyes wasn’t something he could ignore.
Reaching out, Azriel gently cupped her cheek, his thumb tracing her cheekbone.
"Rose... are you really okay with this? Me becoming someone else’s partner, even if she’s your daughter?"
For a fraction of a second, the formidable duchess’s composed facade shattered, exposing a flash of raw, aching vulnerability.
But just as quickly, she gathered herself, offering him a soft, bittersweet smile.
"If it means you stay alive, Azriel, then it is more than okay," she whispered, leaning into his hand.
"In this world, powerful matriarchs hoard dozens of men without a second thought. So what is wrong with my love, a man whose potential is so terrifying that even Sovereigns move to hunt him, even though he has not even started walking down the path of Power, having multiple women?"
Azriel looked into her glowing golden eyes and let out a quiet sigh.
A strange, heavy weight settled in his chest.
In his previous life, he had been a carefree playboy, moving from one bed to another without a second thought or a shred of emotional baggage.
Yet here he was, genuinely affected by the selfless devotion of the woman sitting beside him.
Without another word, Azriel pulled her in, capturing her lips in a deep, intensely tender kiss that melted away all her doubts.
Rosalind completely lost her grip on her remaining reason.
Driven by an overwhelming wave of affection and desire, she pushed Azriel back onto the mattress, straddling his waist as her silver hair cascaded around them like a curtain.
Watching her daughter completely unravel, Vesperia merely shook her head with a dry chuckle.
With a subtle flick of her cane, she vanished from the doorway, the massive double doors snapping shut with a heavy, magic-sealed click.
-x-
A/N:
Hey everyone! If you’ve stuck with the story up to this point, please consider dropping your Power Stones and Golden Tickets!
Your votes help push the book up the rankings so new readers can discover it.
Thanks as always for reading and supporting the journey!